Free Admission for All to Day of Art, Exhibits, Performances & Programs

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Celebrate the dream that unites us as one at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (www.moadsf.org) on Monday, January 20. This is the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a national day of observance. To honor the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s life and bring people together, MoAD is offering free admission to the museum and all of its exhibits, performances and programs for the entire day.

“This year, I am remembering the struggle to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal day of remembrance. I especially remember signing the mighty petition for Congress to pass the law,” said Linda Harrison, Executive Director of MoAD. MLK Day was first observed in 1986.

Normally, MoAD is closed on Monday and Tuesday. But this special Monday, the museum has put together a program that includes film, photography, poetry and musical performances that celebrate the lasting greatness of King. His life and achievements will be honored through art projects and the collaborative efforts of the community. MoAD MLK Day activities will run from 11am to 5pm on January 20, thanks to a generous donation by Lennar Urban.

MLK Day celebrations start on the sidewalk with Jamie Treacy’s chalk art from 1-3pm. On the second floor is a film screening and discussion on Brooklyn’s Castle from 11:30am to 1:30pm. It then moves to spoken word and poetry performances from 2-3pm by Young, Gifted and Talented from Oakland. Freedom stories will be shared by the Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement through poetry, photos and music from 3:30-4:30pm.

On the third floor, an art project will take place from 11am to 4pm with a scavenger hunt at 11am to 5pm. Films about King, his life, struggle and successes, will be shown in the Wells Fargo Heritage Center from 11am to 4pm.

About MoAD

Since 2005, the Museum of the African Diaspora showcases the history, art and cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world, with innovative and engaging exhibitions, education and public programs. As a nonprofit organization, the museum’s operations and programs are supported by grants and contributions from public and private sources.”

The mise-en-scene last night. It’s Recreation and Park Commission President Jim Lazarus taking individual questions from a hostile crowd, split up unnecessarily, it turned out, into three sections. This is what the bulk of the meeting looked like. Click to expand:

But let’s start at the beginning. Below, it’s the organized neighbors! They taped up hundreds of small signs to draw attention to the meeting. Did workers from DPW spend a lot of time taking down the unofficial notices? Apparently. Were any official notices put up, like last time? Not that I could see.

Inside, the fellow on the left, (didn’t get his name, someone called him The Kid) tried to get things started, but vocal members of the crowd didn’t like the agenda that was handed out, particularly they didn’t like being split up into three groups.

The guy with the ponytail went off, and the Eli in the Yale jacket on the right pleaded for calm. Thank Gaia for Yalies:

After a couple go-arounds like that, The Kid threatened to cancel the meeting. (Arboretum staff appears to view hosting public meetings like these as doing a favor to Arboretum visitors, and truth be told, if San Francisco officials are dead-set on allowing the charging of admission, they can do it regardless of what regular Arboretum visitors want.) Here’s a ten-minute video of the action.

But after a brief huddle, redolent of a friendly car salesperson taking your low-ball offer to the Big Guy…

…out comes lawyer Jim Lazarus calling an audible to change the meeting’s format. He seemed every bit the experienced pol he is.

The new agenda that got worked out with leadership elements from the masses: an uninterupted 10-15 minute “general presentation” of the plan. “Then you can decide how much you want to beat us up after that,” said Jimbo. “You can shoot us all when it’s over.”

The Arboretum would set up pre-fab ticket kiosks at the Main Gate and the Friend Gate (near the Japanese Tea Garden) for $65K and then hire four part-time cashiers, a manager(?), and also a part-time accountant for $148K per year. San Francisco residents would enter for free after showing some sort of ID. Those useless freeloading parasites known as Everybody Else in the World would pay $7, or $4 (students and seniors), or $2 (kids) each time they go in. They’d have the option of getting a $75 annual pass that would also allow entry at the Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers – something like that.

The projected 100,000 in paid admissions would have a “blended average” of $5.50 per, resulting in a gross take of $550K. Take away $150K for expenses and you end up with an annual net of $400K, of which $100-150K would go into the Rec and Park kitty and the rest could go into whatever, like hiring more gardeners at $68K salary (plus 25% more in benefits).

The goal would be to eventually get up to a full complement of 16 gardeners, which will “never happen” without some new source of Arboretum-specific cashola.

That’s it.

“KEEP THE ARBORETUM FREE”

What about residents of neighboring counties in the Bay Area you say? It doesn’t matter, all auslanders gotta pay.

What about the rumoured $1.3 million cost of building the kiosks and other related expenses? That was just a “Cadillac proposal” dreamed up by somebody or other – the bare bones approach discussed last night would not be as nice, but it would get the job done.

This charismatic-messianic type got lots of applause for questioning the whole idea of charging anybody anything, regardless of the numbers:

Mr. Lazarus acknowledged the fear San Francisco residents have of being the next in line to be charged, the fear that admission prices would then increase after that. No promises on that front. Que sera sera.

But I’ll let the Keep the Arboretum Free people delve into these issues more. When I left, Lazarus was answering questions one by one, Phil Donahue-style.

“FREE means NO FEES, NO I.D.s”

Oh yes, the “next terrible meeting” promised by Jimbo will concern paid parking in Golden Gate Park. (Do people really plant their vehicle in the park for free and then run all over town all day? People do.)

Random observations:

The estimate of $148k annually to pay salaries for the paid admission scheme sounds low. Way low, particularly in light of what cashiers at the Japanese Tea Garden get paid.

Park and Rec knows how to notice a public meeting but, for whatever reason, it appears to have done a bush-league job of noticing last night’s workshop.

Next up next month in June: the action will move over to City Hall and the Board of Supervisors. When will our civil war end?

When: May 28, 2009 – Thursday 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: County Fair Building, 9th Avenue and Lincoln Avenue, San Francisco
What: In response to the feedback received on the proposed admission program at Botanical Garden, the Rec & Park Department decided there will not be a fee for residents. The revised proposal does include a $7. fee for nonresident visitors. Public workshop is to take feedback regarding revised proposed admission fee and will be seeking topics including:
Implementation of the new fee for non-San Francisco residents.
Amenities at the Garden.
Potential new revenue sources.

“Yerba Buena Family Day presented by Target

Sunday September 23, 2012

11:00 am – 5:00 pm

FREE ADMISSION

Five of San Francisco’s top cultural destinations including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, Children’s Creativity Museum and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival welcome families with a full day of free admission, hands-on art making and special family-friendly performances. It’s an unprecedented opportunity for people of all ages to experience all that downtown San Francisco’s Yerba Buena arts district has to offer.

Here at MoAD we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Music Across the Diaspora from Puerto Rico, Peru and Mexico.

But here’s the news, this joint’s going to be free for all of October 2011:

“The IAMA Board of Directors is offering free admission to the public from October 15-31, 2011. Stop by to see our newly opened museum shop (located at 1023 Market Street) and new additions to our exhibit.
HOURS: The museum is open to the public, Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am-5 pm. Starting October 15, 2011.”

The day will begin with a celebratory dance by Leung White Crane Dragon and Lion Dance Association, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony, welcome speeches and entertainment. Tickets for the general public from 11- 3 pm will be available at the new museum shop (located at 1023 Market Street). Prices are $10.00 adults/ $8.00 for seniors/students/military with I.D. $5.00 Children 5-17 years; children under 5 yrs. free. The museum will also offer free admission for the general public on October 15 from 3-5 pm only, in conjunction with the “24 Days of Central Market Arts Festival.” Members and their guests will be admitted free of charge all day long.

To provide more information, images of the museum and the collection, the IAMA will launch a new website on October 15 at IAMASF.ORG

IAMA’s mission is to display the most beautiful and precious art from all over the world to promote the moral progress, spiritual health, and cultural and artistic development of humanity around the globe.

HOURS/TIMES OF OPERATION: The museum will be open to the public, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm. beginning October 18, 2011.LOCATION: Public access is available at our museum entrance located at 1025 Market Street. The museum shop is located at 1023 Market Street, adjacent to the museum building. Parking is available at inexpensive parking lots on Mission Street between 6th St. and 7th St. around the corner, or take Muni to Market and Sixth St. or BART to Powell Street station and walk one block west. TICKETS: Admission is $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for seniors/students/military with I.D. $5.00 Children 5-17 years; children under 5 yrs. Free. Group tour rates are available. We offer membership with the benefit of free admission.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 415-376-6344×7001″

Why don’t you check it out and then post your opinion online someplace?